• Ad Age, Thursday, October 25, 2007 11:15 AM

ESPN is taking a multiplatform approach to push its coverage of this weekend's Breeders Cup to young men, but the net faces a big challenge in making them care about horse racing. Ratings for the event, which moved to ESPN after 22 years on NBC, have been falling for years and continued to do so after last year's switch to cable.

But ESPN is touting the Breeder's Cup as a series of 11 national championship races split over two days with the hope the glut of high-stakes racing that appeals to racing's older fan base can also pull a younger, upscale crowd by playing up its prestige and $23 million in prize money that goes to the winners. The unusual potential of the demographic mix has brought a mixed sponsor roster that includes Dodge and John Deere along with Grey Goose and Emirates Airlines. And the races will have a full slate of ads.

"We're sold out of our inventory for the first time I'm aware of," says Breeder's Cup chief marketing officer, Peter Land. The races are being heavily plugged constantly on top ESPN shows like "SportsCenter" and in short ad spots.

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